Auto Suggestions are available once you type at least 3 letters. Use up arrow (for mozilla firefox browser alt+up arrow) and down arrow (for mozilla firefox browser alt+down arrow) to review and enter to select.

Overview

Fate in plain sight.

Major Crimes Detective Samantha Reilly prefers to work alone-she's seen as a maverick, and she still struggles privately with the death of her partner. The only person who ever sees her softer side is Michael Turcotte, a teenager she's known since she rescued him eleven years ago from the aftermath of his parents' murder-suicide.

In foster care since his parents' death, Michael is a loner who tries to fly under the bullies' radar, but a violent assault triggers a disturbing ability to view people's dark futures. No one believes his first vision means anything, though-not even Sam Reilly.

When reality mimics his prediction, however, Sam isn't the only one to take notice. A strange girl named Tessa Masterson asks Michael about her future, and what he sees sends him back to Sam-is Tessa victim or perpetrator?

Tessa's tangled secrets draw Michael and Sam inexorably into a deadly conflict. Sam relies on Michael, but his only advantage is the visions he never asked for. As they track a cold and calculating killer, one misstep could turn the hunters into prey.

ADVERTISEMENT

Product Details

About the Author

In his head, Jason Parent lives in many places, but in the real world, he calls Southeastern Massachusetts his home. The region offers an abundance of settings for his writing and many wonderful places in which to write them. He currently resides with his cuddly corgi, Calypso.

In a prior life, Jason spent most of his time in front of a judge... as a civil litigator. When he tired of Latin phrases no one knew how to pronounce and explaining to people that real lawsuits are not started, tried, and finalized within the 60-minute time-frame they see on TV, he traded in his cheap suits for flip-flops and designer stubble. The flops got repossessed the next day, and he's back in the legal field... sorta. But that's another story.

When he's not working, Jason likes to kayak, catch a movie, travel any place that will let him enter, and play just about any sport (except for the one with that ball tied to the pole thing where you basically just whack the ball until it twists in a knot or takes somebody's head off). And read and write, of course. He does that too sometimes.

Read an Excerpt

Seeing Evil

Red Adept Publishing, LLC

"What's that kid still doing here?" Samantha asked. She wasn't a mother and had no desire to be, but she couldn't believe anyone, and particularly not her officers, would leave a child surrounded by blood and death. A crime scene was no place for a three-year-old. And since it was her crime scene, the boy was her responsibility.

"When we tried to move him, he screamed so loud," Officer Ronald Tagliamonte said. He and his partner had been the first responding officers, and they had locked the small apartment down tightly. Samantha appreciated that, but they should have done something with the kid.

"I thought my eardrums were going to burst," he continued. "I just touched his shoulder. It was awful, a high-pitched whine, the kind that can break glass. Anyway, we thought he was special needs with the way he's been rocking and all, so we figured DCF would know what to do with him. A social worker should be here soon."

"Let me get this straight. You two idiots can take down armed assailants, handcuff all sorts of scumbags and murderers, but you were too scared to move a screaming kid away from a crime scene?"

Since her promotion to the Fall River Police Department's Major Crimes Division last April, Samantha had already seen a few homicides. Before that, while working narcotics, she had been called to hundreds more crime scenes. As an officer before that, she'd seen thousands. Never once had she left a toddler sitting next to a dead body.

To make matters worse, the corpse wasn't just any old dead body. That particular individual had gone violently, his brain splattering the wall and ceiling behind him. The nickel-sized hole in the ceiling was lined with what looked a little like raspberry yogurt. Samantha glanced at the child. She was a cop, not a babysitter. The boy, with baby-fat arms and stubby fingers, sat hunched over his crossed legs next to the headboard of a queen-sized bed, facing the far wall. One body was splayed out on the carpet not more than a few feet behind the boy, near the bedroom's entrance. Another two lay in the bed to his left. The intimate and brutal affairs of the dead surrounded him.

Samantha wondered if the boy understood murder or even death. She stared at him sadly, thankful he had tuned out. She hoped that wherever his thoughts were, they brought him happiness.

Poor kid. He's going to need a ton of counseling. Then, switching off her emotions as easily as turning a dial, Samantha became Detective Reilly: detached, confident, and prepared. But she still realized some emotions couldn't be shut off forever.

"Someone get that kid a helmet before he cracks his head against the wall," she shouted at no one in particular.

She turned her attention to the bodies. Reconstructing the past few hours in that room fell far short of a challenge. Her analytical mind opened and closed the case in a matter of seconds. A man and woman slumped naked in bed, blemished by an excessive number of bullet holes. Another man, fully clothed, formed a crumpled mess near the base of the bed. A single shot had exited the back of his skull. His face was still intact, no entry wound evident. The bullet could only have gone in through his mouth.

"Husband?" Samantha asked, pointing at the man on the floor, whose brain matter was staining the carpet. She was sure she already knew the answer.

"Yes," Officer Tagliamonte responded. "Mark Florentine, age thirty-six. According to the neighbor who called in the gunshots, Florentine and his wife, Alice, were separated," he said, extending a pen toward the woman in bed.

"And the other man?"

"James Whittaker. We don't know much about him yet other than the information obtained from his license. We found that in his wallet, which was in a pocket of those pants on the floor beside the end table."

"Well, you don't need me for this one." Samantha removed her latex gloves and stuffed them into her pockets. She buttoned up her long overcoat. "Florentine shot his wife and her lover before turning the gun on himself. Classic murder-suicide. The motive is obvious. Given the number of bullets he plugged into those two, Florentine must have come here with one purpose only. That or he suspected they would be here together and he caught them in the act. He even reloaded to shoot them some more before turning the gun on himself."

"Ouch," Tagliamonte said. "The barrel must have been scalding."

"The least of his worries," Samantha said dispassionately. She had all but closed the case, yet a nagging thought kept her from leaving. "Where's the gun?"

"We haven't found it yet."

"It can't be far. It probably just slid under the bed. When you find it, bag it for fingerprints. We can't leave any question concerning Florentine's guilt, even on a case as clear-cut as this. Write up the report when you get back to the station, and I'll approve it."

Samantha stepped away from the officer. She'd chosen to be a warrior against the depravity of humankind, but that didn't mean she enjoyed witnessing its imbalanced illustrations. Her past had led to her present, for better or for worse.

"What about the kid?" Tagliamonte asked.

Samantha had already forgotten the boy. Once she switched into detective mode, he had become inconsequential. He simply wasn't critical to her analysis of the crime. Samantha tried not to glance in his direction, knowing that to do so would be a mistake, but she couldn't stop herself. From where she stood, she could make out much of the left side of his face and body. Pity surged through her.

The boy rocked rhythmically in front of the wall as if he were a pendulum, never wavering. She squinted, straining to see what he stared at so intently, but saw only a blank wall, off-white paint lined with cracks. He never blinked, never broke his rhythm. Samantha could no longer leave his present care to the tardy Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, if DCF was better qualified to deal with the boy's obviously fragile psyche.

"What's his name?" she asked.

"Michael Florentine."

Samantha approached the boy. "Michael?" If he heard, he didn't react. Samantha walked over to the spot on the wall upon which he seemed fixated. She wondered what could be going through the toddler's undeveloped mind and whether she really wanted to distract Michael from it. She half expected to see Jesus's face etched in the wall's cracks, or some kind of optical illusion. Instead, she just saw faded paint.

"Is he autistic?" she asked.

"Don't know."

Samantha turned around to face the boy. She crouched beside him and waved her hand in front of his face. The boy straightened.

"Oh my God! Tagliamonte, you fool. He's got blood all over his hands and between his legs. Get an EMT in here now, for fuck's sake."

Stepping back so as not to alarm the child, Samantha scanned Michael for wounds, but she couldn't find the source of the blood. She hoped it wasn't Michael's, but she saw no evidence, no tracks or prints, that suggested Michael had been anywhere near the bodies. Then again, shouldn't he be in a crib or something? What's he doing in here? There's no part of this that he should have been forced to witness.

Samantha moved in for a closer look. His hands rested on his thighs, the blood on them dry and cracking on his skin. Something protruded from beneath them, something dark and metallic.

Samantha gasped. "Michael, don't move, okay?"

Michael seemed oblivious to her presence, swaying to a beat only he could hear. It was as though she wasn't part of the world he was seeing. Slowly, she reached for the object with the caution of one taking a bone from a snarling dog. Only Michael wasn't snarling. He seemed uninterested in her, still rocking and staring blankly through her, unblinking and locked on that same focal point.

Maybe he's in shock. Maybe he does understand what happened here. His unresponsiveness was certainly beyond mere willful ignorance. Samantha didn't think he would notice if she lit a firecracker in front of him. He seemed out of touch with reality. For the moment, Samantha preferred him that way.

With a hand as steady as a surgeon's, Samantha reached for the pistol Michael was huddled over like a bear protecting her cub. She avoided contact with him, fearful of what would happen if she disturbed his trancelike state. Her fingers treaded over the barrel, searching for its grip.

She pulled the handgun, a black Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm, from beneath Michael. The barrel brushed against his thigh. With cold, empty eyes bulging open like those of the drowning, Michael gazed into Samantha's. She felt exposed, as if with only a look, the child could delve into the recesses of her mind, revealing her every secret. The thought terrified her. So did Michael.

With reflexes beyond one of his age, Michael grabbed the gun with both hands. Samantha quickly pulled it away. Unnerved as she was, she still had Michael's safety at the forefront of her mind. She removed the weapon from the boy's reach, at all times conscious of its threat. When she found the safety smeared in blood, she clicked it on and breathed a sigh of relief. As she'd expected, there had been a bullet in the chamber. She dropped the gun into an open evidence bag held by Tagliamonte.

Michael's eyes remained on her. They were blue and cloudy like the sky before a rainbow, a fire as bright as the sun burning behind them. His mouth creaked open as though tiny gears controlled its laborious motion. When his chin dropped so low it nearly rested on his throat, a sound, low and indistinguishable at first, emitted from somewhere deep within the boy. As it amplified, its sharp clamor made Samantha's blood ice within her veins.

At once, Samantha knew that not only did Michael comprehend what had happened to his parents, but also that he felt it in the worst sort of way. His wail was ghostly and ghastly, the cry of one seized by agony. Samantha was afraid, both for him and of him, and of what such trauma might cause him to become. Backing away, not knowing how to comfort the lost child, Samantha knew it would not be the last she would see of Michael.

CHAPTER 2

Eleven years later.

Her orange soda glided over the tabletop and onto her lap. Tessa had tried to catch the plastic cup as soon as it tipped, but she was too late. Most of the liquid in the nearly full cup made its way free, cascading across the table's smooth wooden surface as she fumbled.

Tessa's blue jeans were soaked. The soda dripped onto her chair, but so far, the tile floor had been spared. She wondered if it would be any consolation. As she stared at the mess in her lap, Tessa's horror grew. Her breathing quickened, and her heart pounded behind her breasts. Her knee bounced, banging against the table leg and rattling their empty plates. She stiffened her leg, willing it to stop, but it refused to obey. Silverware tinkled as if exposed to a tiny earthquake, vibrating in time with Tessa's every cell. Wisps of her strawberry-blond hair clung to the sweat on her forehead.

Fear assailed her, unrelenting. Her mind submitted to it. She was too scared to move, fearing that she might spread the mess to the floor. But she couldn't sit still either, knowing her inaction would only provoke further hostility. Tessa couldn't guess how he thought she should act, but whatever she did was sure to be wrong.

Most of all, Tessa feared making eye contact with him. Those eyes gave no hint of the mechanisms operating behind them. Her inability to read them made her suspect the worst, but he usually showed her that the worst she could imagine was a great deal better than what he had in store.

A proper lady would never have spilled the soda in the first place, Father would say. As she sat and did nothing, the soda continued to drip onto her pants. It seeped through the fabric, the syrupy fizz chilling her thighs and wetting her underwear. Those would have to be cleaned, too. Oh God, what a mess!

I am not a proper lady. Her body trembled more violently. She buried her face in her hands.

"Well," Father said, his voice emotionless yet firm. His was a tone she had long ago learned to dread. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry," Tessa blurted, and she meant it. She was sorry for the response her negligence would provoke. "I —"

"You're sorry? That's it? That's all you have to say? Does 'I'm sorry' excuse all the soda you've wasted or the mess you've made? Does being sorry clean it up? And look at yourself, Tessa." He tsked then glared at her, his eyes daring her to respond. She knew better.

"You're soaked. It's disgraceful." Father said the words with disdain.

She wondered why he hated her so much. She obeyed every rule, followed every command, even those she knew to be wrong. And having lived alone with him for half of her fifteen years, she had seen plenty wrong. Her life was like walking on a tightrope through a hurricane. Always demanding perfection, Father set her up to fail. And when she did, a spark lit behind his deadpan eyes. Tessa wondered if it was pleasure.

She raised her head, hopeful she would not see that spark, but there it was.

"Well, I suppose we need to get you cleaned up," he said.

"No, Father, please." Tessa started to sob. She knew begging was useless, but that didn't stop her from trying. Maybe this time would be different. She had to hope it would be. Fooling herself gave her strength. Imagining the alternative was far more terrifying. "I'll clean it up. I'll buy usmore soda."

Father seemed to think it over, and for a moment, Tessa's hope became real. But the moment was as fleeting as Father's mercy.

He leaped from his chair like a man possessed. "Come here."

Tessa cringed. She tucked her elbows into her sides and shrank behind her forearms, shielding herself from Father's anger. But her arms wouldn't stop him. Nothing ever did.

Father grabbed her wrist and wrenched her from her chair. He dragged her into the hall, Tessa only partly on her feet. The heels of her sneakers scraped along the carpet until one caught and freed itself from her foot. She envied that sneaker. It had escaped where she would not, no matter how much she tried.

And yet she tried. She had to. Her fingers found the doorframe as Father pulled her into the bathroom. Her nails dug into the wood, and she held on with all the power in her small frame. But Father easily yanked her free, and she stumbled backward into the room. She screamed as two of her fingernails stayed behind.

Father threw her to the floor, her head just missing a collision with the porcelain toilet. He stepped around her and slammed the door shut. He returned swiftly, and before Tessa could react, his hands were around her neck, lifting her off the floor. He swung her to his left, toward the bathtub. The side of her calf hit the rim of the tub with a thud. Her momentum carried her upper body forward. She ricocheted off the far wall and collapsed into the tub, banging her head and hip against the cold fiberglass as she fell. Catching beneath her, the shower curtain tore from some of its rings, hanging like overalls attached at one suspender.

Seated in the bath, Tessa pulled her knees up against her breasts. The cold soda dampened her T-shirt, and to her further humiliation, her nipples hardened. Her face warmed, and she buried her head between her wobbly knees. Blood from her fingers streaked her jeans. She cried, wishing she was bigger and stronger, or simply any place but there. With him.

The room fell silent. Maybe he had finished punishing her and Tessa would get off easy this time. She reached for the side of the tub. Her head rang and her hip throbbed, and she winced as she started to rise. Looking up, she saw Father glaring at her.

"Sit down," Father commanded.

Tessa did as she was told. She knew enough not to hesitate or question. To disobey meant a punishment far worse than whatever Father had planned.

Father closed the drain and turned on the water. He didn't seem to care that Tessa was fully clothed. Furiously, he turned the hot water until he couldn't turn it any farther. He never touched the knob for the cold water.

Realizing his intentions, Tessa retreated as far as she could against the back of the tub, tucking her heels against her butt. The tub quickly began to fill. Steam rose from the water as it flowed from the faucet.

Editorial Reviews

11/09/2015A teenager's ability to see the future proves to be a curse when his warnings are ignored in Parent's heartrending thriller set in Fall River, Mass. Loving foster parents raise Michael Turcotte after he witnessed his parents' murder-suicide at age three. In ninth grade, Michael is bullied by Glenn Rodrigues, who also picks on a friend of Michael's, Jimmy Rafferty. When Michael has a vision of Jimmy confronting Glenn with a gun and shooting the kid dead in the school hallway, Michael's closest adult friend, police detective Samantha "Sam" Reilly, who met him the night he became an orphan, tells Michael it was only a dream. Tragically, despite Michael's efforts to stop Jimmy, he guns down his tormentor just as Michael foresaw. Sam switches from skeptic to believer and even uses Michael to assist in a missing-persons case. Parent maintains suspense throughout and throws in more than a few surprises along the way to a satisfying resolution. (BookLife)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

We start this story as Samantha Reilly is at a murder-suicide scene where she meets Michael Turcotte after the deaths of his parents. Eleven years later, Michael has been in several foster homes and is just trying to stay invisible to the bullies in school. But we find him face first in a toilet at the hands of a bully. This leads him to see a vision of a kid killing another kid at school. He tries to tell Samantha, whom he has stayed in contact with all these years, but she doesn’t believe him. When the kid is killed she has a change of mind.
Then Michael has a vision of Samantha going to be killed and a girl killing her father. Tessa Masterson’s father is a horrible person that abuses her and uses her when he does various activities. It’s going to be up to Michael and Samantha to free or stop Tessa from taking care of her father.
This is a wonderful thriller. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for both Michael and Tessa. I can’t stand bullies and abuse and I feel bad for anyone that has to live with it. Christopher is pure evil and I wanted him to die. What he puts Tessa through is pure hell.
This is the first book of Jason Parent’s that I have read and it won’t be my last. If you are looking for a great thriller you need to check this book out.
I received Seeing Evil from Candid Book Reviews for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

TrojanHorse13

More than 1 year ago

"Seeing Evil" had me seeing red! Wowza. What a ride. The evil in this story is made all the more compelling because it's just all too possible! It made me mad, sad, and I even (almost) cried a couple times.
I went into this knowing not to expect rainbows and puppies, but I wasn't really prepared for the gut wrenching horror the main characters (two teenagers and a hard-boiled homicide detective) were exposed too: bullying, a school shooting, child abuse, and murder(s) most foul. As a parent, I could actually picture the events (psychic premonitions notwithstanding) happening somewhere in my oldest child's circle of friends. Talk about nightmares! Yet I couldn't put this book down.
The story was extremely compelling and even though some of the characters do bad things you're able to relate and forgive them (not you Mr. Masterson, you're as evil as they come and I feel completely justified in hating you). The ending was satisfying... not in a happily-ever-after way, but more like a happy-as-you-could-expect-given-everything-that-preceded-it way, and I was okay with that.
To me, the surest sign of a five-star read is my start to finish time, and considering I read it in three sittings (with a full time work schedule and a family to feed and care for) this one surely qualifies! Not for the faint of heart but certainly a roller-coaster ride worthy of daredevils, I will be looking for more books by Mr. Parent.
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

closkot

More than 1 year ago

My Thoughts - 4 out of 5 Unicorns - I really liked it!!!
***Received a copy of the book for an honest review
The cover is very intriguing and definitely attracted my attention to read it.
This is my first time reading a novel by Jason Parent, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I’m not usually a horror fan, but I definitely like mystery thriller. I think I might be misjudging books marked horror because of horror movies, but I’m not sure. I definitely liked this version of it, and I might need to check out more.
I definitely feel for Michael and all he goes through since childhood. I really like Detective Reilly too! This book was full of twist and turns that I didn’t know would happen. I think it would be a great young adult book if the violence was toned down. I really love the paranormal twist too! This book had a little of everything making it very entertaining! I only wish I knew more about Michael and Sam’s future at the end. Who knows maybe there will be more or at least I hope so!
I think if you like mystery thrillers with a twist serial killer horror then you will want to read this book :) I will definitely be checking out other titles by Jason Parent!

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Title: What is in Your Future?
Seeing Evil by Jason Parent
Reviewed by K. Royce
9/27/15
7:00 p.m.
How do you stop a crime that has not been committed? That is the issue for Detective Samantha Reilly when she receives information about a murder that has not happened; especially when that information comes from high school freshman, Michael.
Seeing Evil is a suspense thriller that will keep you turning every page. After a traumatic event, author Jason Parent’s main character, Michael, awakens with a strange new talent. The teen’s new ability enables him to assist Samantha in solve a missing person’s case. He is deeper into darkness when a shy and abused girl, Tess Masterson, asks him to look into her future. What he sees sends him right to Samantha. Together Samantha and Michael will try to prevent one murder. Meanwhile, Michael tries to save the woman that had rescued him.
You will be drawn into the struggle that Samantha faces between serving her community as a detective and fighting to stay alive. In addition, Michael is a character that most can relate to, the severely misunderstood kid who just wants to make it through high school. This well-written book is a quick read, seeing, as you do not want to set it down. It is perfect for a cold day with some hot cocoa.
I give Seeing Evil 5 out of 5 stars.
Enjoy!
K. Royce
www.mcwpub.blogspot.com

DevinsBookHub

More than 1 year ago

It’s been a while since I’ve been unable to put down a book or put off sleeping just so I could read more. Seeing Evil was able to make me do such a thing, however, so I think that gives you a decent idea on just how good it was.
The book’s first few chapters cover different characters and their struggles, and while they are seemingly unrelated at first as the book progresses these people and plots intertwine and become a single plot. The book opens with Michael as a baby and his parents being killed in a murder-suicide, which is why Samantha Reilly, the detective who was at the scene of that crime, watches over Michael and keeps in touch all these years later when he’s a teenager. She may not be his foster parent but she is still someone that Michael looks up to and goes to sometimes when he needs comforting.
One day Michael has a vision that his new friend Jimmy (the circumstances they met are definitely unusual but you’ll have to read the book to find out how!) is going to shoot the school bully. He goes to Sam and tells her about it, but naturally she’s skeptical. However, once what Michael saw in his vision actually happens at his school one day, she believes him and puts his skill to the test. Naturally rumors about Michael and his ability begin to circulate the school.
Enter Tessa, a girl who hears about Michael’s ability. She’s dealing with plenty of her own issues so she goes to Michael and asks him what he sees in her future, if anything. What he sees spooks him out and is unsure what to think of this girl. Tessa is hiding a lot from everybody, but is there more than meets the eye?
Sam relies on Michael’s new ability to see evil doings in the future to track down a killer who will stop at nothing to ensure his world is perfect – literally.
That should give you the gist of what the book’s about, but there’s so much more to it I’d love to talk about but don’t want to spoil anything crucial. It’s better if you read this book and see for yourself.
The book was both morbid and even upsetting at times with how some of the characters were being treated by others. Descriptions and imagery were not only on extremely point but also nauseating, disgusting, terrifying, and even saddening. Some people in this world are truly evil and this book spared no expense at capturing how these types of people act. All I have to say is…wow. This aspect of the book definitely left me speechless and feeling so terribly sorry for what they (the character) had to endure.
I’d say that about does it for this review. If you like thrillers, especially ones that will make you squirm and are so suspenseful that you cannot stop reading it, you need to pick this one up ASAP.
Thanks to the publisher for a review copy!

Diane_K

More than 1 year ago

Seeing Evil is a suspense filled read from start to finish. I started it in the morning and couldn't put it down till I finished it.
Sam Reilly is a detective in the police department. She's a loner and keeps emotions bottled up. Sam is the type that will bend the rules a bit to get the bad guys. Sometimes this gets her into trouble.
Michael is a teen whose life crossed paths with Sam when he was only a toddler in the middle of a gruesome murder. Michael keeps to himself, unfortunately is bullied a lot and has moved from foster home to foster home. Recently he has discovered a talent or maybe a curse. When Michael touches people sometimes he has awful visions of the future. He really does see evil.
Sam and Michael have been friends for a long time. She has kept herself in the loop with all his moves and troubles. Michael is the one soft spot Sam has in her heart.
Christopher Masterson is the most evil man anyone could imagine. He is cruel and unhinged but on the outside is calm until Tessa, his daughter, or someone else crosses him and does not follow "the rules." I have to say that Jason Parent has created one of the most repulsive antagonist ever. I would compare him to Jack Torrence in the Shining but there is no supernatural component just plain depravity.
Seeing Evil is a must read for anyone who enjoys page turning psychological thrillers.
This book was provided to me free from the publishers for review purposes.

booklover-

More than 1 year ago

MYSTERY WITH A PSYCHIC TWIST
I have to say I don't like paranormal ... zombies, shape-shifters, end of the world dystopian, alternate worlds stuff. I do like psychics, though .. those that can see what the future holds or what has happened in old abandoned mansions, etc. This book combines both a psychic and a serial murderer and a female detective ... all my favorites rolled into one.
Major Crimes Detective Samantha (Sam) Reilly has been looking out for 14-year-old Michael since he was three and witnessed the murder/suicide of his parents. He's now living with foster parents who seem to care for him. Michael has been having some problems with the school bullies and one day he passes out and finds himself somewhere else. When he comes to, he realizes that he has had a vision ... and he isn't very happy. He tells his school counselor.. he tells his foster parents ... he even tells Sam and no one believes him. When his vision happens exactly as he described, people look at him with new eyes.
Sam is on a case concerning a missing wife. They have found her car immersed in a nearby lake, but there is no sign of the woman. Sam picks up Michael and takes him with her to interview the husband. Michael accidentally touches him and has another vision ... his wife is in the basement and being horribly tortured.
I will stop here ... for one thing, I needed to suspend belief (more so then usual) because I know of no detective who would take a young teenager along while interviewing someone believed to have killed his wife.
The story continues as Michael crosses paths with Tessa .. and he "sees" her killing her father. No spoilers, but things go terribly wrong when Sam also gets involved. Is Tessa a murderer .. or a victim? Is her father a serial killer? Or is he just an abusive, controlling father?
Although this is mainly a murder mystery, the teenage psychic takes the biggest role. I loved the plot. Characters were well developed. This was a new author to me, and I'd follow him anywhere.
Many thanks to NetGalley / the Author / Red Adept Publishing, LLC for furnishing this e-book to be read and reviewed with an honest, unbiased opinion.

SherryF

More than 1 year ago

Jason Parent’s latest novel is a mystery with a psychic twist that had me interested from the moment I read the blurb. It may even be considered as part of the horror genre. Monsters come in all shapes and sizes and the human kind are the worst. Seeing Evil has its share of evil of the two legged kind.
Seeing Evil’s blue watery looking cover, with the eyes looking at me, peaked my interest further. A lot of times, I will grab a novel just because of the cover and this is one of those novels. Job well done Jason and Streetlight Graphics.
The main cast of characters include Fall River Detective Samantha Reilly, Michael, a foster kid who has a special gift, and Tessa, a young girl haunted by her dreams, or should I say nightmares. And, of course, the killer, but I can’t tell you much about him. You will have to find out for yourself.
Samantha has been involved in Michael’s life since his parents were killed when he was three years old. He is the new kid in school and bullied mercilessly. After he was viciously assaulted, he developed a gift, or was it a curse. Why were the visions so horrible? Why didn’t he see wondrous things? He could see bad things coming to people he touched, but was unable to convince those in authority of what was coming. Even Samantha has doubts, until…
Samantha and Michael step out of the normal police investigation mode and hunt for the killer, putting themselves in extreme danger.
I liked that Jason Parent pointed out how often we come in contact with strangers, a casual touch here or a brush against them as we pass by. It is details like this that give a feeling of reality to a novel.
Poor Tessa. She is horribly abused by her father and wonders if he hates her or just takes pleasure in inflicting pain. Evil walks in all forms and doesn’t have to be supernatural. I couldn’t help but feel for her as she searches for a way out of her terror filled life. Isn’t there anyone who can help her?
I see how destiny will draw them all together, but who will be left standing and how damaged they will be when they get there, I am very eager to find out.
Grotesque mutilations, horrendous torture, is there a serial killer on the loose in Fall River? Is Tessa a victim or a perpetrator? What is Michael’s part? Can a psychic who has visions of the future alter the outcome? I don’t see why not and I am hoping so.
Samantha goes above and beyond the norm for a police officer. She has an inside track in the investigation, but wonders how far can she push her secret weapon. Her role has changed, from trying to solve a murder after it happens, to trying to solve a murder before it happens.
Seeing Evil by Jason Parent is a police mystery with a paranormal twist. As the story progresses, the tensions builds and the suspense mounts making me wonder if they will all survive. The killer did not come as a huge surprise, but more than once I was talking to the characters, telling them to not go there, don’t do that, RUN for your life.
The flawed and damaged characters add elements to the story that up my investment in the reading. I am into the characters so much, I wonder if we could be hearing more from Samantha and Michael, even Tessa, in the future.
I loved Seeing Evil. Jason Parent did a fantastic job of grabbing my interest and holding it throughout. I am looking forward to reading more of his work.
I was given a copy of Seeing Evil by Jason Parent in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Detectives Bruce Marklin and Jocelyn Beaudette have put plenty of criminals behind bars. But a
new terror is stalking their city. The killer's violent crimes are ritualistic but seemingly indiscriminate. As the death toll rises, the detectives must track a ...

Eternal life. Eternal battle.Steve-Diomedes Tydides to his Trojan War buddies-just had a bad day on
his charter fishing boat in San Diego, but when the goddess Athena calls on her faithful warrior for another secret mission, he's ready. The bomb ...

When evil whispers.Michael Turcotte wants nothing to do with his so-called gift—the ability to see
other people’s fates simply by touching them. Michael decides to spend his summer searching for answers about his past. He can’t rest without the sounds ...

This book is the story of the spiritual history of our world. It explains in
a fantastical way, why evil exists and the purpose for it. *EXCERPT*The glorious, terrible inferno that embodied The King, whipped all around him, in him ...

'Now my eyes have seen you. (Job 42:5)Few biblical texts are more daunting, and yet
more fascinating, than the book of Joband few have been the subject of such diverse interpretation.For Robert Fyall, the mystery of God's ways and the ...

See No Evil is the second installment written by Nine Tribe about Domestic Violence. Within
its pages you will find the hearts and souls, tears and triumphs of some pretty powerful beings. Alo0ng with your stellar cast of women who ...